Can a Memory Foam Mattress Topper Freeze?

I love my memory foam mattress topper. I also bought one for my camper. The sleep my boyfriend and I get is great. Do have a question. Can the memory foam topper be left in the camper over the winter?

Hi Kathy,

If you and your boyfriend enjoy sleeping on a surface as hard as a granite countertop or concrete sidewalk, then sure…leave the memory foam mattress topper in your camper all winter!

I see you’re in Wisconsin and I also have family there (plus I’ve watched my share of Green Bay Packers games over the years). So I know how brutally cold those winters can get.

Without getting into chemistry, memory foam is made from polyurethane, plus various chemicals that are added to the mixture. So one of the key factors is whether or not polyurethane can hold water. If so, sub-freezing temperatures may cause that water…and your memory foam topper…to freeze.

In 2012, there was an informative report on moisture measurement put out by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. They were looking at polyurethane foam insulation, yet the findings can apply somewhat to viscoelastic memory foam used in mattresses and toppers.

The study found that polyurethane has the capacity to absorb and hold moisture. Even though your topper may be locked up in your camper, moisture will be circulating through the air.

And there is no doubt that memory foam becomes as hard as stone if left in a freezing environment.

The real question is whether or not the properties of the memory foam topper will be affected long term by staying…and freezing…in your camper in a Wisconsin winter.

Once frozen, it will take several hours to thaw out the memory foam topper if you want to use it for winter camping.

And as the study I mentioned asked in their conclusion, what do freeze and thaw cycles do to the structure of foam? No one seems to know.

So if you have no plans to use the memory foam topper all winter and just want to stash it in the camper, it will freeze rock solid. In the spring, thaw it out. Will it be the same? Who knows?

If you plan to use the topper throughout the winter, I would recommend bringing it inside to thaw out before you set off on your latest camping adventure.

Your question is a good one because there is still a lot of research to be done on memory foam.

As the Polyurethane Foam Association has pointed out, most foam has the best “memory” between 55 degrees and 85 degrees.

However, if memory foam can be found to be more responsive in freezing temperatures, there will be a lot more that can be done to use it.

Especially for relieving pressure points when driving in automobiles and trucks subject to super cold temperatures.

Hope that helps you out. Glad you like your memory foam mattress topper. And happy camping!